The Old Raftsman is a Qingzhou world boss in Where Winds Meet whose fight changes format halfway through. It opens as a 2D side-scrolling duel on drifting bamboo rafts. After a waterfall drop, it becomes a normal 3D fight on a wide raft platform. The staff work is full of feints, and two gold attacks can end your run if you misread them. Most of the fight comes down to reading color and reading his hands.
Quick answer: Parry red attacks by timing his hands, not the staff tip. Press the lightness button (X on controller) to leap onto his gold charge. Dodge his gold jumping stomp.
Old Raftsman location in Qingzhou
He sits on the river in southeastern Qingzhou, south of Seedling Temple, in the Eastern Peak part of the map. Follow the wooden rafts upstream until you see an old man resting on one with his staff. Walk up to him and the intro cutscene starts the encounter. The map card marks him as “DANGEROUS.”
| Detail | Value |
|---|---|
| Boss type | World boss |
| Region | Qingzhou |
| Difficulty | 3 out of 5 stars |
| Weakness | None |
| Phases | 2, split by a cutscene |
He has no weakness, so pick for comfort. Snowparting Blade, Thundercry Blade, Skystrike Gauntlets and Riven Twinblades all work well as Martial Arts. For Mystic Arts, Flute of the Tides, Dragon’s Breath, Drunken Poet and Cloud Steps are good picks.
Phase 1: Side-scrolling raft chase
After the cutscene (“Step aboard, little stowaway!”), the camera locks to the side and the fight plays like an old-school fighting game while the rafts drift downstream. You can’t turn your character, and normal 3D movement is off. Keep up with him, answer his attacks, and don’t commit to long combos.
Expect a few pop-ups that limit your kit during the encounter:
Restriction: Lightness Multi-Climb/Stream Skills/Wallstride/Sky Tether/Item type temporarily disabledInner Demon: Healing Reduction
At the river’s final stretch, a cutscene carries everyone over an enormous waterfall. The Old Raftsman takes a sip and prepares his staff. Phase 2 begins when you land.
Phase 2: Old Raftsman attack counters on the raft arena
The second half unfolds with full 3D movement on a fixed ring of lashed bamboo rafts below the falls. He begins by sending a ground wave in several directions. You can parry it with good timing, so be ready to block as soon as the fight resumes.
| Attack | Cue | Answer |
|---|---|---|
| Opening ground wave | Start of Phase 2 | Parry |
| Charged gold attack | Gold glow, prompt | Lightness jump onto him |
| Staff strikes | Red glint | Parry on his hands |
| Water-swirling follow-up | Red, after a downward strike | Deflect |
| Jumping stomp | Gold glow | Evade |
Gold charge: Jump on his head
Some of his gold-aura attacks trigger a Cloud Steps prompt. Use the lightness skill button, X on controller, to jump onto him and cancel the attack completely. The first successful use unlocks the “Skimming the Rapids” achievement.
Red attacks: Watch his hands, not the staff
His pole is long, and the tip trails behind the real hit. The parry window lines up with his hands, so time your block to their movement and ignore where the staff end is. Some swings are also feints meant to bait an early deflect. Wait for the real strike, and don’t swing back right after his first hit, because he often chains into another.
One red move works a little differently. He slams the staff downward, then follows with a red-glowing strike that churns the water around him. Deflect that follow-up instead of dodging it, since countering it is tied to one of the fight’s achievements.
Gold stomp: Get out of the way
Not every gold glow is a jump prompt. His gold jumping stomp acts like a meridian touch. If it connects, you get the Immobilized status and he follows up with heavy red strikes while you can’t move.
Getting immobilized by the stomp is the most likely way to lose a full health bar in a single sequence, so treat it as a dodge-only attack.
Damage windows: Break his Qi
Because his combos fake you out so often, long offensive strings are risky while he’s active. Deflect his staff attacks to drain his Qi. Save your strongest Martial Arts and Mystic Arts for when he becomes Exhausted, then go back to defense before his next combo. Switching between an umbrella and blades works fine for chipping at his health between those openings.
Old Raftsman rewards and achievements
A clear is confirmed when the VICTORY screen appears and the loot list rolls in. A first clear paid out the following:
| Reward | Amount |
|---|---|
| Coin | 72,000 |
| Stored EXP | 12,000 |
| Jade Fish | 150 |
| Inner Way Note: Custom Chest | x5 |
| Medicinal Tales | Included |
| Decoration: Driftwood Raft | x1 |
Driftwood Raft is a housing decoration, and it’s the only cosmetic in the drop. Three achievements are tied to the fight:
- Skimming the Rapids: cancel a gold charge with a lightness jump onto him.
- Against the Tide: unlocks alongside the victory.
- The Raftman’s Wake: unlocks alongside the victory.
Each achievement shows up as a banner the moment it unlocks, so you’ll know mid-fight whether the jump counter worked. If you only see Against the Tide and The Raftman’s Wake at the end, return to the river and land the lightness jump on a gold charge to finish the set.
